Type.



No. 796,487. PATBNTED AUG. 8, 1905.

v s. R. WITHBRS.

TYPE.

APPLICATION FILED HAY II, 1904.

4.- a I v i374 M3 fimimmmmmwawlT [NVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TYPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed May 11, 1904. Serial No. 207,424,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYLVESTER R. Wrrnnns, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Highlandtown, Baltimore county, Maryland, have invented a certain new and useful Type, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to the structural formation of bodies of type and type characters, which constitute fonts of type, with flanges or spaces attached or molded thereto and to the combination of lower-case letters or type bodies formed with flanges or spaces attached or molded thereto, the object of the invention being to provide fonts of type to be used in the art of setting type which will effect a material saving in time and labor on the part of the compositor both in composition-work and in the subsequent distribution of the same and also the production of fonts of type which will be materially lighter than the same class of fonts of type now in use, but combining the same strength and durability.

The space as used in the art of setting type is a type character without a printing-face, one style being a solid of shorter length than a type character with a printing-face, but of some proportional thickness to the same, while the other space known to the art is a knob projection molded to the type character which has a printing-face. The flanges or spaces of my invention arenot separate type characters, as the first above named, but are molded to and form part of each type character with a printing-face, and it differs very materially from the space known as the knob projection, as the flanges or spaces of my invention are lateral projections on the side of the type character with a printingface, extending lengthwise of the body of the type, being flush with the bottom, but nicked or notched at the top.

In setting correct copy with fonts of type with spaces as separate characters the compositor must adjust this separate space charactcr after each word unless it is the closing word ofa line of type, also preceding and following all the type characters with printingfaces occurring alone. It requires more time and labor on the part of a compositor when setting type with knob projections in adjusting the knobs to each other than would be required in picking up a separate space and adjusting it in his composing-stick. Also in looking up forms with knob projections as type embodying the present invention.

spaces produces bucking (cupping) or irregular alinement. produced a type-body which virtually eliminates the space as a separate type character, yet avoids the objectionable features of knob projections as spaces, as my flanges or spaces are of sufliicient smoothness as not to interfere with the rapid work of a compositor; yet when the operator picks up a spaced type, a combination of type spaced on both sides, the speed of setting type has been greatly increased.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, my invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangements of parts,as hereinafter fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan or face view of a portion of a line of Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a lower-case type character with the flanges or space showing to the left. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the frequently recurring words, showing the flanges or spaces on both sides. Fig. 5 is a plan or face view of the combination mentioned in Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 is one of the capital letters A with flanges or spaces showing on both sides. Fig. 7 is a plan or. face view of the capital letter A. Fig. 8 is a detail enlarged perspective view of one of the type characters, showing flanges or spaces attached. Fig. 9, is a plan or face view of the character mentioned in Fig. 8.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

A font of type embodying the present invention comprises, in addition to the usual letters of the alphabet, numerals, punctuationmarks and characters, other types which correspond to the usual type, so far as the printing-face is concerned, but having in addition thereto lateral offsets, as best illustrated in Fig. 3, in which 1 designates the body of the type, 2 the face thereof, 3 the printing character, 4: a pair of flanges or the space extending lengthwise of the body of the type, as

shown, one of the flanges or the space being cut away at the top or nicked, as shown at 5, this nick on the top being a quick reminder to the compositor as to the way the character should be inserted into his composing-stick.

With my invention there is p The flanges or the space lies flush or even with the type with a printing-face at the bottom, extending upward to the base at 3, the printing-face, but here slightly nicked, as clearly shown in the drawings, while the outer edges of the flanges or the space are located in exactly the same plane, so that they meet when adjusted in the composing-stick and bear equally against the side faces, flanges. or spaces of an adjoining type or character in the manner illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The inner adjacent faces 6 of the flanges or spaces are pitched or inclined, as a preference, as shown, to facilitate molding and also to save a portion of the type-metal, while combining the same strength and durability.

The flanges 4 or the space character may occur on the right-hand side of the type-body, or it may occur on the left-hand side, as is shown in Fig. 3, or, again, the flanges or spaces may occur on both sides of a type body, as shown in Fig. 6. Small and frequentlyrecurring wordssuch as the a, and, at, the, &c.are formed or molded as a single type-body, with spaces or flanges 4 extending lengthwise of the body 1, as shown in Fig. 4:, on both sidesthat is, both to the right and the leftwhen the type-body is properly adjusted in a composing-stick.

The object in providing type-bodies with 'spaces or flanges formed or molded thereto as a part of said type-body is to practically eliminate the space as a type-body from fonts of type, and therefore to avoid the labor involved in picking it up and adjusting the same in a composing-stick and save the time essential in its subsequent distribution.

An advantage of the present invention is that a compositor in his work of setting type will have before him a font of type composed of type with printing-faces but without spaces attached and then type With spaces attached, formed or molded thereto, the latter enabling the compositor to begin or close a word with a type having a space added with the same case and rapidity as if he were setting and adjusting in his composing-stick a type without a space or a space itself. Another advantage is secured to the compositor when he comes to one of the frequently-recurring words or any type character which may occur alone in composition-Work. As an illustration of the first advantage secured, the compositor in his labor of setting type reaches the word wait. The w may be spaced on the left or the t on the right. If the last type of the word preceding "wait was spaced, then the compositor picks up the w without a space, but closes the composition of the word by picking up the t spaced, thereby saving time and labor. As an illustration of the second advantage secured, the compositor reaches in his labor of setting type the word at. All the smaller recurring words of the language are formed as a single-type character with spaces attached on both sides. To set the word at by the present art, the compositor first picks up and adjusts in his composing-stick a space, then the a, then the t, and then again a space. Four motions of the hand and arm are here found to be essential to compose this word and the proper spaces. With this invention the compositor picks up with the same ease and rapidity as he picks up the first space, in the composition of the above Word, the at being spaced on both sides, as may be seen on the drawing Fig. 4, thereby securing a very material saving in both time and labor.

For the objects and purposes of this invention it makes no difference whether the flanges or spaces are molded to the right or to the left, as the main object is the production of fonts of type spaced, so that a compositor in his rapid work may easily distinguish before he picks it up the top or printing-face of the type, (see Figs. 3, 4, and 5,)

so that the compositor may quickly and easily adjust the type and type characters in his composing-stick and so that fonts of type and type characters of this invention may be quickly and safely locked in forms.

Another object of this invention is the production of type with printingfaces, type bodies or type characters with printing-faces, being the combination of lower-case letters, forming all the smaller recurring words of the language, with flanges as spaces attached or molded thereto on both sides, or with spaces of smooth surfaces, extending lengthwise of the type-body, but nicked or cut away at the top.

Another object of this invention is the production of fonts of type of lighter weight than the same series of fonts of type now in use, but still combining the same strength and durability.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim as newand novel is 1. A type having flanges or spaces formed on the edges thereby presenting a concave surface on the sides of the type-body, said flanges extending lengthwise of the type-body and one of them being cut away at the top, substantially as described.

2. A type having a plurality of lower-case letters, and provided with flanges or spaces on both sides, thereby presenting a concave surface on both sides of the type-body, said fla'nges or spaces extending lengthwise of the type-body and one of them being nicked.

3. A type having a combination of lowercase letters, producing the shorter words of the language, and provided with nicks at the top, and also with lengthwise spaces of sufficient smoothness so as not to interfere with the rapid work of composition.

4. A type having a plurality of lower-case letters, molded as a single type or type character, with spaces on both sides, thereby producing spaced type or type characters, said spaces extending lengthwise of the type-body and nicked or cut away on either the top, side or bottom.

5. A type having a nicked top and provided with lengthwise side spaces of sufiicient smoothness so as not to interfere with the work of composition.

6. A type having a plurality of lower-case letters producing fonts of type, the combination forming all the shorter, recurring words of the language molded with flanges or with smooth surfaces as spaces, on both sides, thereby securing spaced type or type characters, said spaces extending lengthwise of the type-body and nicked either on the top or side.

In testimony whereof I afiixmysignature in presence of two witnesses.

SYLVESTER R. VVITHERS. Witnesses:

V. BOND MAUPIN, M. L. DAVIDSON. 

